Helicigona lapicida

Helicigona lapicida
A live individual of Helicigona lapicida from northwestern France
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Mollusca
Class:	Gastropoda
Order:	Stylommatophora
Family:	Helicidae
Genus:	Helicigona
Species:	H. lapicida
Binomial name
Helicigona lapicida (Linnaeus, 1758)
Synonyms
Helix lapicidaLinnaeus, 1758 (original combination)

Helicigona lapicida is a species of medium-sized, air-breathing land snail, a terrestrial pulmonate gastropod mollusk in the family Helicidae, the typical snails. ^[1]

Subspecies

• Helicigona lapicida andorrica(Bourguignat, 1876)
• Helicigona lapicida lapicida(Linnaeus, 1758)

Anatomy

Love dart of Helicigona lapicida

This species of snail makes and uses love darts during mating.

Distribution

This species is native to Europe, especially Central Europe.

Ecology

Helicigona lapicida is known to feed selectively on certain lichens inhabiting rocky substrates, including the crustose lichen species Verrucaria nigrescens . ^[2]

Shell description

Five views of a shell of Helicigona lapicida lapicida

Five views of a shell of Helicigona lapicida andorrica

The shell of this species is approximately 20 mm in maximum dimension. The periphery of the shell is sharply keeled. There is a wide umbilicus. The peristome around the aperture is white and strongly reflected and lipped. The shell color is grey-brown with some red brown patches.

References

1. MolluscaBase eds. (2021). MolluscaBase. Helicigona lapicida (Linnaeus, 1758). Accessed through: World Register of Marine Species at: http://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=1003372 on 2021-02-01
2. Fröberg, Lars; Baur, Anette; Baur, Bruno (1993). "Differential herbivore damage to calcicolous lichens by snails" (PDF). The Lichenologist. 25 (1): 83–95. doi:10.1006/lich.1993.1015.

• Janus, Horst, 1965. The young specialist looks at land and freshwater molluscs, Burke, London
• Kerney, M.P., Cameron, R.A.D. & Jungbluth, J-H. (1983). Die Landschnecken Nord- und Mitteleuropas. Ein Bestimmungsbuch für Biologen und Naturfreunde, 384 pp., 24 plates. [Summer or later]. Hamburg / Berlin (Paul Parey).
• Bank, R. A.; Neubert, E. (2017). Checklist of the land and freshwater Gastropoda of Europe. Last update: July 16, 2017
• Sysoev, A. V. & Schileyko, A. A. (2009). Land snails and slugs of Russia and adjacent countries. Sofia/Moskva (Pensoft). 312 pp., 142 plates.

External links

• innaeus, C. (1758). Systema Naturae per regna tria naturae, secundum classes, ordines, genera, species, cum characteribus, differentiis, synonymis, locis. Editio decima, reformata [10th revised edition], vol. 1: 824 pp. Laurentius Salvius: Holmiae.
• Helicigona lapicida at Animalbase taxonomy, short description, distribution, biology, status (threats), images
• Helicigona lapicida images at Encyclopedia of Life
• Fauna Europaea Search Distribution